One of the best parts of your wedding day is getting to remember every second of it, whether that’s through photographs, home videos, or saving the white gown to pass along to the next bride. However, there’s another way to savor your special day—through wedding bouquet preservation.
Wedding bouquet preservation is similar to keeping your home flowers fresh. But these ideas also preserve a memory. Plus, preserving your wedding bouquet has a positive impact on the environment. Instead of throwing wilted flowers in the trash, you get to divert them from the landfill. The average wedding produces 400 pounds of garbage and produces 63 tons of carbon dioxide, so every small step makes a difference.
Wedding bouquet preservation keeps you on the path to celebrating a more sustainable wedding! Combine this practice with our other tips, including making DIY wedding favors, hosting a microwedding, and sending digital wedding invitations, and your wedding’s environmental footprint will drastically decrease.
7 DIY Wedding Bouquet Preservation Ideas
1. Dry the Bouquet and Put It on Display
Perhaps the simplest way to preserve your bouquet is to dry the flowers. You can do this by letting your bouquet air-dry.
To dry your flowers, remove brown leaves and petals and gather the stems in smaller bunches. Then, hang the bundles upside down and leave them alone! This process can take a few weeks, but in the end, you’ll have a dried bouquet that can be displayed in a vase.
2. Display Dried Flowers in a Shadow Box
PHOTO: DIY DARLING BLOG
With this DIY, you can turn your wedding bouquet into DIY wall decor! You’ll need a shadow box, scissors, an airtight container, a flower drying agent (crystals or silica gel), and of course, your bouquet.
You’ll also be able to arrange the dried flowers however you’d like. And you can even add in other memorabilia like a copy of your invitation, a photograph, or even a piece of jewelry.
3. Turn Petals Into Jewelry
Photo: monsterscircus
You can display dried flowers in a shadow box—or you can get creative and make jewelry to display the flower petals. All you need is your flowers and locket pendants, which can typically be found at a thrift store or in a vintage shop.
After you’ve dried out the flowers and assembled the lockets, you can either wear them or display them in your home!
4. Dip Flowers in Wax
PHOTO: HELLO LIDY
If you’re looking to preserve your flowers for a short period of time, try dipping them in wax. Wax-dipped flowers usually last 30-45 days, and according to this tutorial, the wax-dipping method is one of the easiest ways to preserve your bouquet’s shape.
You can use organic wax, such as soy wax or beeswax, to make your wax-dipped flowers come to life.
5. Make DIY Floral Bath Salts
PHOTO: ONE ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY
Wedding bouquet preservation doesn’t have to mean saving your bouquet for eternity. If you’re not exactly attached to the bouquet, but you’re still looking for a way to keep the petals out of the trash, upcycle the petals and make bath salts.
Combine the flower petals with a simple DIY bath salt recipe, add in some essential oils for fragrance, and have a self-care night.
6. Make Potpourri
PHOTO: LITTLE YELLOW WHEELBARROW
Making potpourri is a great way to divert organic waste out of the landfill. To make this concoction, you can use a combination of your choice.
From floral potpourri with petals and dried lavender to fruity potpourri with dried fruit peels and flowers, you can customize your scent—and find a use for your wedding bouquet.
7. Paint Your Bouquet
Believe it or not, painting your bouquet is a great way to preserve the memory of it. Plus, painting keeps you in touch with your artistic side—and possibly allows you to try something new!
To learn how to paint your bouquet, check out DIY tutorials on YouTube. And if you’re still not sure how to unleash your creative side, you can have an artist paint them for you.
As for the bouquet itself? You can compost it! Flower petals, stems, and leaves are all green components of your compost bin.
Hey there! Want to help us change the world every day through easy, achievable, eco-friendly tips and tricks? Sign up for the Brightly Spot and join our movement of over a million changemakers.
